


And your smiles are giving me all types of treble

by AcidBat



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Current era, M/M, Misunderstandings, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:28:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28224624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcidBat/pseuds/AcidBat
Summary: It's Christmas week and Gerard, a pseudo-hermit artist, isn't very excited about the holidays. Until his best friend Lola decides to do something with him the day before Christmas. Gerard's Christmas will take an unexpected turn thanks to Lola's plans.Written for Have Yourself A Merry Little Fic Exchange, prompt was Christmas Presents
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11
Collections: Have Yourself A Merry Little Fic Exchange





	And your smiles are giving me all types of treble

**Author's Note:**

  * For [specialagentwoodfinch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/specialagentwoodfinch/gifts).



> Title from No Shows by Gerard Way.
> 
> Thanks[ Thejacketslut](/users/thejacketslut/) for the beta reading, without you this would be a mess. tkm

When he couldn’t ignore the annoying ringtone anymore, Gerard rose from the chair. With a sigh, he looked at the phone where Lola’s face appeared. Without option, he picked up the call.

“Hello?”

“Gee, you finally answer!” She said with her usual happy voice “How are you? What are you doing? Do you have the day off?”

Gerard ran his hand through his beard as he leaned against the wall. “I was working… You know, writing, creating, contemplating life. So yeah, I'm free today.” He murmured.

Gerard heard Lola chuckle through the earphone. Suddenly he was afraid.

“I’m coming to your home then! Go shower and get dressed up. I'll be there in an hour."

Gerard looked at his computer, he hadn't written anything this morning but maybe Lola was right. He needed to go outside. Gerard turned off the computer and chose his favorite vinyl. Then he went to the bathroom, and he looked at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was a mess and his beard had grown white. With the rhythm of the music he started shaving. Then he washed his hair, he needed it. He liked to stay always at home, but he thought that being always alone, and depressed, makes you smell bad.

Lola ringed the bell exactly when he was ready. Gerard went downstairs and opened the door, it was cold outside and he didn’t want her to freeze out. Her pink hair brushed his face as he breathed her familiar scent when he received her in a warm embrace.

“How are you?” Lola said breaking the hug to look at him better. “How much do you sleep? How much coffee do you drink? For God's sake, Gerard, don't make me stay here for a week again so you can have a normal sleep schedule.”

Gerard giggled and took Lola inside the house and closed the door.

“I’m okay, I swear. It’s just that I have a deadline the day before Christmas and I’m a little stressed.”

Lola gently squeezed his shoulder and smiled at him. “I’m sure you’ll finish this safe and sound. Well, you get dressed and we go?”

Gerard frowned and he looked at himself at the entrance hall mirror. He had combed his hair and shaved. And he was wearing jeans and a hoodie. He _was_ dressed. “Lola, I’m already dressed.”

Lola looked him up and down and shook her head. “No way. Are you really going to go with that ragged hoodie?”

“What? But is a designed hoodie. I spent a fortune on it! And it’s my lucky hoodie” he sentenced.

“Really?” she asked with a sigh. “I remember you were more stylish. Well, at least take a coat, it’s cold outside.”

Gerard sighed and took the keys and the phone defeated. It was impossible to argue with Lola about clothes.

***

There was a week until Christmas and that meant the mall was full. Lola had dragged Gerard with her to buy Christmas presents. Not only did she force him to buy one for her —secretly, of course—, but she also forced him to buy one for Mikey, his wife, and his nieces. For sure Gerard was going to gift them something, but he was going to buy them on Amazon. What was the need to go to the mall and be with so many people? Gerard hated it. At least Lola and her talk helped make Gerard’s anxiety weaker.

At noon, when they had bought everything, they decided to take a break at Starbucks. Gerard ordered a vanilla latte and sat on the couch with a sigh. “What remains to be done?” He asked after taking the first sip of his coffee. It tasted great.

“The most important,” Lola replied, looking at Gerard with a smile. That could only mean one thing.

_Oh, no_.

“What's now?” Gerard asked fearfully.

Lola smiled even bigger, maybe she thought she was adorable —and she was— but Gerard was scared of that smile. “Let’s do something together for Christmas.”

“Christmas? I’m going to Mikey’s”

“The day before Christmas. I have a list, and since I’m your best friend I’m going to let you choose,” she replied, showing him the screen on her phone.

In it Gerard saw a very long list, from Christmas meals in orphanages to group skydiving.

“You’re crazy,” Gerard replied when he saw the infinite choices.

“Yes, and you love me for that. But now you must choose one.”

They argued for almost two hours. Lola really wanted to do something with Gerard and in the end, it seemed like there was an agreement. They would go on the night of the 24th to a bar to a kind of a secret Santa with strangers. The way she said it to Gerard made his stomach hurt. It was a long time since he had met someone new and even more since he had a date. At his age, he was already giving it up. He knew he would die alone, it was no big deal. So if going to a bar and exchanging gifts with strangers was what made Lola happy, he would do it for her anyway.

“As you wish,” he answered, finishing his coffee.

Lola smiled genuinely and jumped up.

“Perfect, then it’s time to buy the gifts for our secret Santa.”

Buying a present for a stranger was difficult. And more for Gerard, who already didn’t know how to choose gifts. It would be easy if he knew the hobbies of the person who would receive the gift. He could buy a book, a comic or a movie. But he ended up buying a boring gift: scented candles. It was not the most original gift in the world, but it seemed beautiful. However, Lola ended up choosing a pair of pretty gloves.

On the way home, Lola signed them both up for the party and so throughout the week, Gerard had one more thing to worry about.

***

Gerard defeated his demons and he finally finished his work Christmas Eve morning. That week Gerard had drunk more coffee than what was healthy, and yet as he dressed in the afternoon he couldn’t stop yawning. He looked at himself in the mirror and sighed. It was obvious he had gained weight and that stupid blue suit fitted better a few years ago when he had short orange hair. But that was it, at least now he had health.

Without lingering much longer, he got in the car and headed for the bar. He had to park a bit far away and had to walk the whole street to find the place. At least the street was pretty that night. Throughout the month he hadn’t noticed the Christmas atmosphere in the city. The street was full of green and red lights that reflected on the wet pavement. If he was lucky it would be quite cold tonight and it might snow. With a smile, Gerard looked forward to Christmas dinner the next day. He wanted to see Mikey and have hot chocolate with marshmallows with his nieces so bad.

When he arrived at the bar Lola was already there, as pretty as ever.

“What about this smile? Are you excited about tonight? Will you find love at last?”

“Oh, shut up,” Gerard said without his smile. “I’m just looking forward to seeing Mikey and the girls tomorrow. You’ll come over, right?”

“Of course, I really want to give my girls their presents. They will like mine more than yours.” Lola smiled and without giving him time to answer she took him by the arm to enter the place, she was freezing.

Stepped into the bar they left the presents on a table and one of the party staff gave them a pin with a number that they had to wear to later take the corresponding gift.

The atmosphere was quite calm inside. The place was dark and it reminded Gerard of those underground concerts he attended when he was younger. Except that instead of neon lights, there were Christmas lights and not the music of his taste, but carols.

Lola broke away from Gerard and smiled at him. “I’m meeting someone, so from now on you’re alone,” she said with a smile.

Gerard gaped, it couldn’t be true “You’re… You are a traitor.” 

Lola stuck her tongue out at Gerard and raised her hand to meet a girl at the bar. And with this, Gerard was left alone, in the middle of the party, listening to the first verses of _All I Want For Christmas Is You._ Oh yeah, Gerard hated Christmas.

The secret Santa would be in an hour, so he spent the entire hour drinking coke and trying to talk to someone. That would be easier if Gerard knew who was willing to talk to an old comic writer. God, he missed being young, going to local bands concerts and making out with the first person who approached him. But those days were long gone now. Now Gerard had a house, money cats, a successful job and a wonderful family. He only lacked love, or so Lola said. Maybe it was true, maybe not.

Luckily, when he was almost leaving, a man got on the small stage and announced with a too high microphone that the secret Santa was going to start now. The rules were simple, you took the package with your pin number and tried to find the person who bought it for you. That party was about meeting new people, making friends and have a good time.

“Have fun my ass” Gerard whispered looking for Lola. But she was nowhere to be found, so he had to go to the table all by himself and look up his number. It was 49. 

Gerard had to wait a bit for the tables where the presents were laid out to clear. He finally got his gift. It was in a pretty nice bag and it has a 31 in it. But it was so late to come back and search again, he didn’t want to get into the crowd again. He knows the number 31 can get his present instead. So, avoiding being seen, he went to a corner. He reached into the bag and took a small Christmas card. Some Karen wished him _Merry Christmas and may God bring us to a new lovely life._ Gerard put the card again in the bag with a laugh imagining her as a single mother desperate to find love. He was definitely not going to look for her. A little excited he took the present. It was kind of squishy and when he opened it, he had the biggest disappointment of his life. It was dog clothes. It was a _fucking_ coat for dogs. He looked at it trying to find any utility. But Gerard was sure Mitch would hate it. And he wasn’t going to torture his cats like this. No way.

With a sigh he put the gift back in the bag and headed to the bar to try to find Lola. It was his fault for expecting the present would be something useful. It was an anonymously secret Santa, he should be happy to have at least something normal. But maybe he preferred something weird and disgusting that would have been funnier than a dog coat.

Gerard sat on a free spot at the bar and ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail. He needed something more exciting that night or he would end up leaving without Lola and annoyed. He wanted to give Lola a chance and try to make friends. He really wanted to, but there he was, being a stalker and watching a stranger opening his gift.

He was so distracted watching his hands moving up and down unwrapping the paper that he didn’t realize what was the present until he heard the man’s laugh and mutter a curse under his breath. He had a very peculiar laugh. It was childish but _manly_ at the same time. He sat on the verge of the stool trying to get a better look at the tattooed man’s gift. The present was a pair of pink socks with flamingos. Some people were lucky, not like him. 

He looked up to get a glimpse of the man's face. His hair was the same length as his, but it was way healthier. The man had a light beard and some tattoos escaped from his collar’s shirt. When Gerard wanted to look away from him, he met his eyes, they were a dirty green.

The man smiled at him with raised eyebrows and showed him his gift. “Bad idea to come here tonight, huh?”

Gerard laughed helplessly and regretted it immediately because his laugh was so shrill and he didn’t want to scare the man. “You’re right,” he said, pulling out his Christmas-themed dog coat.

The man opened his mouth and leaned towards him a bit. “Fuck, this would be perfect for Soup!”

Gerard didn’t know what to do or what to say. The man smiled excitedly at this shitty gift. His smile was so amazing that he could only smile back and offered it to him. “Here. For you. I doubt my cats like it, and it wasn't even my gift. There were so many people that I took another number by mistake.” If Gerard thought the man’s smile was incredible when he offered him the gift his smile lit up the whole place.

“ _Fuck me_ , are you serious?” Gerard nodded. “Dude, this is awesome. Fucking thank you!” The man said leaning in for a quick hug.

Gerard laughed again, delighted. He could only think of two things. The first was that the man smelled great, the second was that that hug was electrifying. A little flushed, he separated from him. What was happening? He placed the gift beside him and spoke to make it look like he wasn't out of breath, which was true. “Thank Karen, she seems desperate to find another husband with a dog.”

“I’m not very interested in a Karen right now, you can have her,” he joked.

“I think I’ll pass too.”

The man looked at him and making an _o_ with his mouth he reached out his hand to sake Gerard’s. “By the way, I’m Frank.”

“Gerard,” he replied with a smile shaking his hand.

“Thank you again for the gift. I’m sure Soup is going to look so cute wearing this.

“I assume Soup is your dog,” Gerard said, feeling his cheeks a little hot.

“Yes, look.” Frank took out his phone and showed him his wallpaper. It had a puppy next to a larger dog. “Soup is the puppy, Lois is her big sister,” Frank said proudly.

“They’re cute!” Gerard said, pulling out his phone and looking for a picture of his cats. “These are mine, Mitch and Lotion”

Frank smiled before spoke, “I’m a dog person but I must admit Mitch is so sweet.”

Gerard couldn't help but smile at Frank’s words. They looked like two older men talking about the only they had, their pets… Oh wait, that’s what they were.

“Another round?” Frank asked, pointing to his beer.

Gerard made a small smile and pointed to her still-full non-alcoholic cocktail. “No thanks. Beside… I don’t drink alcohol.”

“Oh, sorry” Frank replied looking a little upset.

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” Gerard replied with a smile. 

He hadn't been drinking anything because he felt something in his stomach. As if something were flying inside it.

“By the way,” Frank said, his gift in hand. “Do you like socks? I know it’s not the best Christmas present, but I don’t want you to go home without a present.”

Gerard smiled again “Actually… I love colored socks,” he said showing Frank his ankles. That night he had chosen his Batman socks. And he thought that was the best idea ever because Frank jumped out of his seat.

“Do you like comics?” He asked excitedly.

“In fact, I’m a comic writer, I'm also a cartoonist.

“No way,” Frank said with a big grin. “God I never imagined I’d find someone like you here. I was about to go home to do a Harry Potter marathon or something. This party is boring.”

“I was thinking exactly the same thing” Gerard replied with an excited smile. Frank stared into his eyes for a long second and Gerard, embarrassed, looked away. That had been intense. He kept talking so as not to stare at him like a fool. “When I entered here suddenly I missed those clubs where I went as a teen to listen to local bands. These were the real good times.”

Frank continued to stare at him, his mouth open in shock. “Can you stop reading my mind?” He asked.

Gerard laughed a little flushed and drank desperately. “Luckily that’s not my superpower yet.”

Frank smiled even more, and from then on the night was much more pleasant than they had both expected. They only talked about comics, books, and music. Frank turned out to be more adept at music, and Gerard was at comics, so they complement each other very well. And even though they had both planned to leave three hours ago, they were still there talking. Frank had started to order a coke, and Gerard found it very considerate for his part. But the good things did not last forever and it was all over when the bar stopped the music and turned on the lights that Gerard noticed that Frank was far more handsome than he had seemed in the dark. Now he could even see the black ink covering his arms through the grey fabric of his shirt. _God_.

“Well, I guess it’s time to go,” Frank said, running his fingers through his hair.

Gerard nodded and picked up his new socks, he was delighted. Likewise was Frank with Soup’s new Christmas coat. They both went out into the street and stood at the door of the bar, looking at each other.

“Hey,” they both said at the same time. They laughed and Gerard gestured for him to speak first. Perhaps wanting to ask for his number was something hasty.

“Can you give me your phone number?” Said Frank with a grin. _This couldn’t be happening_ , Gerard thought. “To send you photos of Soup with her new coat.”

Gerard looked at him not knowing what to say. Sure he was dreaming, it was impossible that this was actually happening. He managed to react when he saw Frank’s phone in his hand. He took out his and dictated his number almost trembling with nerves.

“Perfect,” Frank said with a smile. “What did you want to tell me?”

Gerard looked up, a little ashamed. Then he saw that there was mistletoe on them. This was a fucking joke. Gerard, completely red, looked down and shook his head. “I also wanted to ask your number… In case you want to talk someday recommend you more comics, as you asked”

Frank nodded effusively, never taking his eyes off Gerard’s. It was unsettling. “Yeah, so we’ll keep in touch.”

Gerard nodded and stood there, not sure what to do. But Frank still had the initiative in this. So he walked over to Gerard and hugged him quickly in goodbye. Gerard stood there static, still waiting for the kiss. _What fucking kiss, Gerard?_ He thought. God he was very nervous. When he noticed Frank parting, he waved goodbye and almost ran out of there. When he had walked already a few blocks, he realized that he had gone the wrong way. Gerard couldn’t stop thinking about Frank’s giggles. God it was like he was sixteen again.

***

Christmas day was spectacular for Gerard. He went to Mikey's house at breakfast time and watched the girls excitedly open their presents. Mikey loved his brother’s gift and Gerard emotionally hugged Mikey and his wife for what they gave him. Lola stayed for an hour around noon time and then went with his family.

The meal was fairly uneventful but it was dinner that turned into chaos. His parents came for dinner and Mikey put on music. His nieces were dressed in Christmas costumes and they opened more presents. And the food was perfect. Gerard was happy to have that family.

Almost at midnight, when he was already half asleep on Mikey's couch he received a message from an unknown number. He decided to ignore ir, but curiosity won him. When he opened the chat he found a photo of a puppy dressed in a Christmas coat, next to her was another dog with a ladybug dress. Then there was a message that said “ _Merry xmass XO_ ”.

Gerard choked on his drink. It was Frank. Suddenly everything that had happened the night before came back to his mind and he had to drink water to calm down his nerves before responding.

“ _Merry Christmas to you too. I hope you’re having a good night with your family :)_ ”

Frank responded instantly with another photo. In this one, Gerard could see Frank with his two dogs by his side and a table full of snacks. Gerard smiled and when he was to answer another message came from Frank. “ _This my xmas dinner: LOTR marathon and snacks with my daughters my parents are in a xmas travel and all my friends have family so this is everything a 39 old like me can desired hahaha_ ”

Gerard laughed and sent him a photo of Mikey’s Christmas tree. “ _You make me a little envious but I’m fine eating gingerbread cookies at my brother’s house_ ”

“ _I’m jealous! Save me a few cookies_ ” Frank replied.

They spent the rest of the night chatting and when Gerard came home he was grinning like a fool. First, because he was happy to have had a great night with his family and second because Frank made him happy. And he was too old for that. And the best hadn't happened yet. As soon as he got home he went to sleep and the next morning he woke up to one last message from Frank.

“ _Do you want to go for coffee tomorrow? I invite_ ” Gerard looked at the hour, it was eight in the morning. He panicked and replied, “ _at the Starbucks in the park at 9?_ ”

Frank's message was immediate “ _sure!_ ”

“Fuck, what’s going on?” Gerard shouted, getting out of bed feeling nervous.

***

Gerard got to Starbucks 20 minutes early. He had dressed in something comfortable and done his hair a bit. As soon as he got to the door of the coffee shop, he saw Frank approach while walking two dogs. Frank flashed him a smile between his wool cap and his coat. His smile was huge and bright. As soon as he stood next to Gerard the dogs started sniffing at him. With a shy grin, Gerard reached down and pet Lois and Soup. The puppy was wearing the Christmas coat Gerard gifted Frank two days ago. When they were satisfied Gerard stood up and looked at Frank who was looking at him with a smile.

“Hi,” he said enthusiastically.

“Hi”, Gerard answered nervously, raising his hand quickly, with his pinky finger apart from the others.

“Do you mind having coffee outside?” Frank said pointing to the dogs. Gerard shook his head and smiled. “Awesome, thanks, dude.”

Gerard looked away flushed, Frank was too intense. They quickly entered the place and Gerard ordered a vanilla latte. Frank decided on a large black coffee. While they’re waiting Frank explained to Gerard that he could only drink vegetable milk and that he was vegetarian.

They got the coffee and then went outside. The dogs guided Frank and Gerard to their favorite spot in the park. “We always take this route every morning and they’re excited because they have a new friend today,” Frank said with a smile, his cheeks were red from the cold.

It was hard for Gerard to realize that he was the _new_ _friend_. Perhaps Frank was happier about it than the dogs themselves.

They came to an area where there was a small lake and Frank sat on a bench and released Lois and Soup. They began to play with a ball that Frank had in his pocket. When Gerard finally sat on a bench, Frank looked at Gerard with a big smile on his face. Gerard drank coffee and tried to concentrate on not burning his tongue. Luckily the cold hid the blush on his cheeks from Frank’s proximity. He felt stupid for being attracted to Frank, but he was handsome and had a lot of tattoos. They even had the same interests and God his smile was breathtaking. Gerard was fucked up. 

“So how are you doing at work?” Frank asked after taking a sip of his coffee.

“Good. I’m free until the 2nd of January, so I’m good now. Then we’re going to work on the new issues, the specials from the next year, you know… What about you?”

“Nice! I’ll return to the concerts after the holidays. Maybe writing new music, recording… It’s nice to see we’re on vacation this week. I will spend the days playing guitar at home, playing with the dogs, all day in my underwear. You know, selfcare.”

Gerard laughed in amusement until he imagined Frank in his underwear. _Oh, no_. Without losing the composure he crossed his legs and continued drinking coffee quietly.

“I was wondering,” Frank said. Gerard looked up and he noticed his face was red, Wait, was he stuttering? “There’s a very interesting movie now… Would you like to go to see it tomorrow afternoon?”

Gerard began to cough, choking on his coffee. _What’s going on?_ “Yes, of course. I would love to.” Gerard regretted the poor choice of the word love at this exact moment. He didn't want to sound desperate. Because he _was_ desperate to hang out with Frank.

“Nice! At Starbucks at five? We can walk to the theater.”

Gerard nodded in disbelief. Had Frank just asked him out on a date? It was impossible, right? He drank coffee again but noticed that he had nothing left. So his body decided to choke on his saliva. Gerard recovered when Frank started patting his back. He didn’t know if that helped him or his touch made everything worse. Because with every pat there was an electrifying feeling in his own skin. They both ended up looking their face a few inches apart, both red as tomatoes. Gerard couldn’t stop looking at his round nose and his lips that were red and cracked. Overwhelmed he said the stupidest thing that crossed his mind. “Are you wearing piercings?”

They both looked into each other’s eyes before Frank raised his eyebrows and started laughing out loud. “I used. Now I’m a mature man.”

“What about the tattoos?” Gerard asked with a smile.

“They stay. Each tattoo tells a thing about my life. And it’s cheaper to remove a piercing than a tattoo,” he joked.

“A inked living memory,” Gerard murmured looking at the inked scorpion in Frank's neck.

Frank stared at him for like a minute straight before resuming the conversation about tattoos. When they started talking about Gerard’s fear of needles the conversation was interrupted by a snowflake that fell in Frank’s face. Without thinking about it —now a daily practice in him—, Gerard removed the tiny snowflake from Frank’s face and looked at him smiling.

“It’s snowing,” he exclaimed excitedly.

They stayed a while on the bench, watching how the flakes fell slowly and watching how people looked excitedly at the snowfall. However, as soon as Frank began to shiver with cold, Gerard knew it was time to go. “See you tomorrow then?” He asked, taking off his scarf.

Frank nodded as he called Soup and Lois and put on the leash. When Frank looked up, Gerard put his scarf gently around his neck. “Keep it, you’re shivering.”

Actually Gerard was shivering too but not from the cold. Frank smiled at him and tucked the scarf better around his neck. He also adjusted his woolen cap so Gerard could only see his eyes now. But he didn’t need to see more to know that he was smiling. Gerard had to look away from him again, he felt stunned. There was an awkward silence before Lois started barking. Gerard looked at the dog and smiled in relief.

“Well, see you tomorrow?” He repeated with a small grin.

“Of course, I really want to. Would you like to have dinner later? I know a great vegetarian restaurant that’s pretty close from here.”

“I would love to,” Gerard replied, genuinely excited.

“Nice!” Frank stepped forward and embraced Gerard in a quick but warm hug. “See you tomorrow, _Gee_.” He said before turning around.

Gerard stood there watching him go down on the already snowy road. He was definitely going to have a date with Frank.

***

When Gerard arrived home the first thing he did was turn the heat on full blast, then he called Lola.

“Gerard!” she said with a singing voice.

“Lola, we have to talk very seriously,” he said, going to the kitchen to make another coffee. “I should have told you yesterday, but I wasn’t sure.” He apologized choosing a mug.

“Gerard, what happened? Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. It’s just… The night of the secret Santa...”

“Oh, I’m sorry for leaving you, Gee. It was just a friend I have to explain—”

“No, listen” Gerard insisted. “I… I met a man. Handsome, tattooed, bright smile. Today we have coffee and tomorrow we’re going to go to the theater and have dinner together.”

He heard Lola gasp and leaned against the counter with a goofy smile on his face. “It’s a date?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m scared.”

“Why? You said you get along well, and he’s handsome. What’s wrong then?”

“I don’t want to get my hopes up. I’m too old for this teenage nonsense.”

“Gerard, it’s never too late for love! Listen to me, I’m going to go to your house now. We’re going to spend the afternoon doing things and tomorrow you’re going to go to the theater and after dinner, you’re going to kiss him.”

“Lola, I swear—”

“What? Haven’t you spent these two days thinking about kissing him? I know you, that’s why I know you’re nervous because you can’t take it anymore.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he answered nervously as he got up to turn off the coffee pot. “Would you like to buy Chinese food?”

“Yes! I’ll be there in an hour,” she said with a smile. When Gerard thought she was going to hang up, she spoke again. “Oh my god Gerard, you’re in love.”

Before she could finish his sentence Gerard cut the call. Sometimes he didn’t know how he could stand Lola.

Spending the day with Lola helped him a lot. They ordered the food and ate watching those interior design shows. It was getting dark and Gerard was lying on the couch with two slices of cucumber in each eye and a yogurt mask that Lola had prepared for him. She was sitting on the floor, painting her nails the same pink as her hair.

“So will you kiss Frank tomorrow?” 

Even though Gerard couldn’t see her face, he knew she was smiling. “Shut up.”

Lola laughed. “Why don’t you invite him on New Year's Eve?” You can kiss him and if he rejects you, you still have the New Year’s kiss excuse.”

Gerard lifted a slice of cucumber to look at him. “Actually, this is a great idea.”

“Thank me when you get married and adopt four children.”

“Lola!” The woman giggled and put the cucumber slice back over his eye. “You still have five minutes left, don’t move.”

Gerard sighed and fell back on the couch. He had spent the whole afternoon relaxing but now he felt the anxiety scratching his stomach again. Kissing Frank… It couldn't be that bad.

***

That night, Gerard finally had a peaceful sleep after admitting he liked Frank. He knew all his nerves were due to the fear of kissing him and the possibility of ruining everything. When he left the house he felt this familiar knot creeping in his stomach making him nauseated. He’d brushed his teeth three times, put on more cologne than was socially allowed, and looked in the mirror so much that he now hated his face.

It wasn’t snowing that day, but there’s still ice on the sidewalk. When Gerard got to the Starbucks he went in, so he wouldn’t freeze. Since he had arrived early he bought two coffees, one for him and the other for Frank. Gerard thought Frank would be happy to be able to warm his hands when they met.

Frank arrived a few minutes after he took the first sip of his coffee. When Gerard saw him with his little red face wrapped in his scarf, he wanted to scream.

“Here,” Gerard called, raising a hand to get his attention. He watched Frank’s eyebrows rise as he approached his side. “It’s for you,” Gerard said, handing his coffee.

“Really? Oh man, thanks. I’m fucking freezing.”

Gerard smiled as he watched him take the first sip. Frank was adorable.

They weren’t there too long because the movie would start in less than an hour. Luckily the theater was close. So when they bought the tickets they still had a little time to spare. They decided to enter the cinema and take the best seats, which happened to be in the back in a corner. Gerard was nervous again because he had done that many times as a teenager to make out with his lovers. Maybe that was what Frank wanted. Gerard began to study his movements, but Frank seemed calm, natural. He was the one acting nervous and weird.

When the movie started he tried to focus but Frank’s elbow was stuck to his. Then it was the arm, and later the hand. It took Gerard an hour and a half to grab Frank’s pinky with his own, and when he finally did, the movie ended. When the lights came on Gerard got up quickly and Frank looked at him with a huge smile.

“The movie was very cool, right?”

Gerard nodded, despite only remembering the first five minutes. The rest of the movie was just a blurry haze of Frank's face while he tried to take courage to kiss him. But of course, he failed.

The rest of the night was more relaxed for Gerard. They returned to their usual talk, full of laughter and jokes. Every time Frank stopped talking Gerard felt he knew more about him. And the more he knew Frank, the more he liked him. At the end of the night, when they both left the restaurant, Gerard still didn't have the guts to ask Frank to spend New Year's Eve together. And he was panicking because he knew he was running out of time. They were in front of the restaurant door adjusting his clothes. Frank was wearing Gerard’s scarf. When they bought the tickets Frank wanted to return it to its owner, but Gerard made Frank keep it. At least that night.

When Frank finished tucking the scarf around his neck he looked at Gerard with a big smile.

“It was nice to see you today.”

“Yeah” Gerard replied, a bit nervous. He thought that maybe this was the perfect moment to invite him to New Year’s Eve. But a warm hug melted his brain.

Frank hugged him tightly, resting his head on Gerard’s shoulder. Their chests were pressed together and Gerard put his hand over Frank’s back and pressed him a little more against him. He thought that if they weren’t wearing clothes, he could feel Frank's heartbeat. But to be honest, he preferred to feel his warmth and his scent. He didn't want to let him go. And Frank seemed to feel the same since he didn't step away until several minutes passed. His lips were curled in a smile bigger than before. They were only a few inches apart and even though the smoke that came out from their mouths mingled together every time they breathed, neither of them moved. Gerard _knew_ this was the moment.

“Frank I thought that if you’re going to be alone again maybe you would want to celebrate New Year’s Eve with me?” Gerard said in a row, without breathing. “Nothing fancy, just you and me in my house?” He said slower then.

Frank blinked twice before lighting up the street with his smile again. “Actually, I was going to invite you to have dinner at my place but then I thought you maybe would spend that night with your family,” he said, a little embarrassed.

_Oh._

“Mikey’s gone on a trip with the girls. So I’m alone with Mitch and Lotion.”

“Then count on me. Do I need to bring anything?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds before quickly hugging again for the last time and going home. When Gerard arrived home he started panicking. How was he supposed to cook something edible? Maybe Frank felt forced to come. Maybe Frank was just being friendly. Maybe...

“It’s all Lola’s fault” Gerard murmured before going to bed a little anxious.

***

It was December 31st and Gerard was in the kitchen drinking coffee, smoking, cooking, and shaking. He had spent the past three days cleaning, decorating the house and buying things he thought Frank would like, from food, drinks, and even two New Year's Eve supply kits. When he bought them he felt a little stupid because he wasn’t sure if Frank was into those things. And despite those fears, he decorated his house. Christmas was over, but he took out the Christmas tree so Frank wouldn't think he was an old hermit comic book artist. He was, but he wanted to keep the ways of being a normal human being, at least that night.

Frank told him he would arrive at 5 pm, so around three o’clock, he went to the shower after asking Frank if all was okay and if he remembered the address. Gerard also reminded him that he didn’t have any alcohol at home and that if he wanted he could go buy something for him or even bring himself. But Frank replied that it was not necessary. A nice gesture from Frank that Gerard was very grateful about.

When the doorbell rang, Gerard took one last look in the mirror and smiled encouragingly. That afternoon he had opted for something simpler. A black shirt and jeans. He didn’t want to give the impression that he didn’t care about his appearance, but he didn’t want to go overdress either. He took a deep breath before opening the door and seeing Frank. The man wore a white shirt and a thin black tie. Gerard’s breath caught, and he could only do his usual, raise his hand to greet him.

“Hi!” Frank said with a big smile. The sky was quite dark and gray, it was going to snow that night. That’s why Frank wanted to take shelter as soon as possible in the heat of the house. And in Gerard’s arms because he hugged him lightly.

“H-hi,” Gerard murmured when Frank broke away with a smile. He was adorable.

“Hi!” Frank said again. “How are you? Can I help you with something? Oh! I remembered you told me you like D&D. So I thought you might like this,” Frank said, showing Gerard a card game that he quite liked.

Yes, Frank was his perfect man.

“I love that game!” Gerard said after the shock with a big grid. “I also had thought about watching a movie while we waited for midnight. Maybe listening to music, come, I want to show you my collection.”

And so began the best last day of the year for Gerard and Frank. They spent a long time talking about the films and vinyl records they had in common and then almost reluctantly forced themselves to eat. Gerard was not an expert cooker but Frank loved the vegetarian lasagna he had made. Then, as Gerard promised him on Christmas night, he gave her a taste of the gingerbread cookies he had brought from Mikey’s and Frank loved them. Gerard made a mental note to ask Mikey for the recipe so he can make some for Frank in the future.

And so they finished dinner. There were still a few hours of the year left, and they had a great time playing the game Frank had brought and listening to his favorite music. Frank regretted that he hadn't brought one of his guitars, but then the magic happened. Gerard remembered he had a guitar! It wasn't as good as Frank’s and it hadn’t been tuned for years but Frank fixed it in a minute. So they spent the next hours like that. Frank lying on the floor playing and Gerard, who at first was embarrassed, singing with him. They made a great duo.

It was thanks to Gerard checking a song lyrics on his phone that he realized it was almost midnight. “Fuck, New Year is in six minutes.”

Frank looked up from the guitar and smiled. “Man, time flies when you're having a good time!” he said resting his guitar on the coffee table and sitting next to Gerard on the sofa.

Gerard stopped the music and put on the TV the Times Square live. The screen was full of lights and the crowd screaming excited for the end of the year. Remembering what he had bought, Gerard went for the New Year’s Eve supplies a little embarrassed. When Frank saw it he began to laugh a bit excited.

“No way,” he said, taking his bag supply and opening it. He took the little hat for putting it on. Gerard, amused by Frank's beauty, took a green streamer and tossed it over him, making Frank laugh more. “I haven’t used these things in years.”

“Yeah, me too. I thought it may be funny and nostalgic.”

Frank looked away from the television. There were less than two minutes left. “Yeah, you’re right,” he whispered, picking up another hat to put on Gerard.

Gerard could only hear his heartbeat and the excitement of the people in Times Square on the TV. The countdown was about to begin, and Gerard couldn’t wait those last few seconds. He took Frank by the neck gently and pulled him close to kiss him on the lips. It was a slow kiss. Frank’s lips were soft and when he hugged Gerard he couldn’t suppress a small moan. Gerard noticed Frank smiled in the kiss and maybe he died at that moment. When they parted they looked at each other with a smile, both faces red and breathless.

“Happy New Year,” Gerard said in a whisper.

“Couldn't you wait a few seconds? Dude, I waited a week for this” Frank said with a chuckle.

Gerard didn’t have time to answer because Frank moved back to his lips and kissed him again. This time he did it with his tongue, confirming he waited days for that kiss. Gerard grabbed onto his shirt and didn’t know when they stopped kissing that night. All Gerard knew were two things. The first one was that he had to thank Lola for dragging him to that party and leaving him alone. If he hadn’t been wrong to take his secret Santa’s present, he wouldn’t have met Frank. The second was that he liked Frank a lot and that this had undoubtedly been his best New Year’s kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy it, specially [ specialagentwoodfinch!](/users/specialagentwoodfinch/)  
> I also hope you all have a happy holidays and happy new year! xo


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